Prince William: Guarding the Future

HONORING TRADITION, CONFRONTING GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND GUIDING HIS FAMILY FORWARD—THE PRINCE OF WALES’ WHIRLWIND WEEK REVEALS A FUTURE KING DEFINING THE MONARCHY’S TOMORROW

- SIMON PERRY

King-in-Waiting Reflecting in silence at the Cenotaph war memorial in London on Nov. 9, William showed the steady resolve of a man whose " "moral compass," says a friend, is set at "due north."

On Nov. 9 Prince William stood before the Cenotaph in London, bowing his head as wreaths of red poppies lined the war memorial in tribute on Remembrance Sunday, the most solemn day on the royal calendar. Above him, Princess Kate watched in quiet composure from the Foreign Office balcony. The moment—steeped in tradition—marked a remembrance of those lost in wars both long past and recent and a reflection on renewal within the royal family. The couple, along with their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, had just moved into their new forever home, Forest Lodge in Windsor, beginning a fresh chapter after the challenges of the past few years, including Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

A day earlier Kate, 43, who announced in January that she was in remission, attended the Festival of Remembrance with George, marking his surprise debut at the poignant annual event and underscoring the generational shift already underway. While William, 43, was returning from Brazil, where he took his Earthshot mission to the world stage, his son was taking his own early step into royal duty at home.